 |  |
*Nearly two decades after Victor Lal challenged Australia's treatment of Fijians (2005), the debate has come full circle. Ratu Tevita Mara is once again asking Canberra for visa-free travel and equal treatment, raising an uncomfortable question: can there be a genuine "Vuvale" partnership when one side still has to knock on the other's door?
 "Do you have a criminal record?" |  |
| That was the opening question that framed my Fiji Daily Post feature on 3 November 2005, Standing Up to Australia. Nearly twenty-one years ago, I wrote: "Do you have a criminal record?" asks the application form to a Fiji Islander who wants to visit Australia. "Definitely, yes!" writes the prospective visitor. "What is the purpose of visit?" "To visit family, a bit of sightseeing, and to witness first-hand the appalling condition of the aboriginal peoples of that country." Application rejected. It was satire. But it carried a serious point. |  |
Back then I argued that Australia's immigration policy towards Pacific Islanders was riddled with contradictions. Canberra happily welcomed our labour, our nurses, our fruit pickers and our taxpayers' children who could afford international tuition fees but ordinary Fijians still had to endure the ritual humiliation of proving they were not intending to overstay, work illegally or disappear into suburban Sydney.
Nearly twenty-one years later, here we are.
Still debating visas. Still pleading for equality. Still talking about "Vuvale".
This week, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara called for visa-free travel for Fijians to Australia and questioned why Fijian students must wait until 2029 before qualifying for Australian domestic university fees under the expanded Vuvale arrangements.
He argued that if Fijians are good enough to work in Australian hospitals, farms and aged-care facilities, then they are good enough to enter Australia without jumping through bureaucratic hoops and for their children to receive fairer access to higher education.
It is a perfectly reasonable argument. The irony is that it is also a remarkably familiar one.
The "Vuvale" Family With Conditions
Australians can arrive in Fiji without first applying for a visa. Fijians cannot do the same. Apparently, in the Vuvale family, one sibling is trusted with the house keys while the other is asked to wait outside until Immigration finishes checking their references. Family, it seems, comes with paperwork.
The Labour We Want, The Traveller We Don't
Australia has become increasingly dependent on Pacific workers. Thousands of Fijians now work under the PALM scheme in agriculture, meat processing, aged care and other sectors, contributing significantly both to Australia's economy and to remittances sent home.
When Australian orchards need fruit picked...Welcome, Fiji. When hospitals need nurses...Welcome, Fiji. When aged-care homes need staff...Welcome, Fiji. When the same worker wants to visit relatives for a holiday without filling in pages of immigration forms...Not so fast.
The contradiction has survived changes of governments in both Canberra and Suva.
Haven't We Heard This Before?
Reading today's speeches feels oddly like rereading old newspaper cuttings. In 2005 I wrote that Australia appeared willing to "listen to the small Pacific Island voices" while continuing to maintain immigration barriers that treated Pacific Islanders differently from Europeans who enjoyed easier access.
I criticised what I regarded as Australia's selective embrace of multiculturalism, welcoming Pacific labour when economically convenient while maintaining restrictive immigration practices for ordinary visitors.
Twenty years later, only the vocabulary has changed. The debate has shifted from "seasonal workers" to "PALM". From "regional engagement" to "Vuvale". From "partnership" to "strategic alliance."
But the visa remains.
University Fees: Another Waiting Room
Ratu Tevita also questioned why Fijian students must wait until 2029 before accessing Australian domestic tuition rates.
Again, it is a fair question. Australia has spent years speaking about deeper Pacific integration. Education is perhaps the most enduring investment any nation can make in a regional partnership.
Every year a talented Fijian student delays university because international fees are beyond reach is another year of lost opportunity, not only for Fiji but arguably for Australia itself.
Twenty Years of Progress and Paperwork
To be fair, much has changed since 2005. Australia's engagement with the Pacific is substantially deeper. Labour mobility has expanded dramatically. Security cooperation is closer. Development assistance has increased. The Vuvale framework represents a significant political commitment.
These are genuine advances. But visas remain one of those awkward reminders that rhetoric and policy do not always travel at the same speed.
The Final Irony
Perhaps my 2005 imaginary visa application should now be updated.
Question: "Purpose of your visit?"
Answer: "To visit my Vuvale."
Question: "Do you have supporting documents?"
Answer: "Only twenty years' worth of speeches about Pacific partnership."
Result?
Application pending.
After almost twenty-one years, Fiji is still making the same argument.
Canberra is still giving broadly the same answer, only wrapped in warmer diplomatic language.
Some debates grow old.
This one appears to have qualified for permanent residency.
Nearly twenty-one years later, here we are.
Still debating visas. Still pleading for equality. Still talking about "Vuvale".
This week, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara called for visa-free travel for Fijians to Australia and questioned why Fijian students must wait until 2029 before qualifying for Australian domestic university fees under the expanded Vuvale arrangements.
He argued that if Fijians are good enough to work in Australian hospitals, farms and aged-care facilities, then they are good enough to enter Australia without jumping through bureaucratic hoops and for their children to receive fairer access to higher education.
It is a perfectly reasonable argument. The irony is that it is also a remarkably familiar one.
The "Vuvale" Family With Conditions
Australians can arrive in Fiji without first applying for a visa. Fijians cannot do the same. Apparently, in the Vuvale family, one sibling is trusted with the house keys while the other is asked to wait outside until Immigration finishes checking their references. Family, it seems, comes with paperwork.
The Labour We Want, The Traveller We Don't
Australia has become increasingly dependent on Pacific workers. Thousands of Fijians now work under the PALM scheme in agriculture, meat processing, aged care and other sectors, contributing significantly both to Australia's economy and to remittances sent home.
When Australian orchards need fruit picked...Welcome, Fiji. When hospitals need nurses...Welcome, Fiji. When aged-care homes need staff...Welcome, Fiji. When the same worker wants to visit relatives for a holiday without filling in pages of immigration forms...Not so fast.
The contradiction has survived changes of governments in both Canberra and Suva.
Haven't We Heard This Before?
Reading today's speeches feels oddly like rereading old newspaper cuttings. In 2005 I wrote that Australia appeared willing to "listen to the small Pacific Island voices" while continuing to maintain immigration barriers that treated Pacific Islanders differently from Europeans who enjoyed easier access.
I criticised what I regarded as Australia's selective embrace of multiculturalism, welcoming Pacific labour when economically convenient while maintaining restrictive immigration practices for ordinary visitors.
Twenty years later, only the vocabulary has changed. The debate has shifted from "seasonal workers" to "PALM". From "regional engagement" to "Vuvale". From "partnership" to "strategic alliance."
But the visa remains.
University Fees: Another Waiting Room
Ratu Tevita also questioned why Fijian students must wait until 2029 before accessing Australian domestic tuition rates.
Again, it is a fair question. Australia has spent years speaking about deeper Pacific integration. Education is perhaps the most enduring investment any nation can make in a regional partnership.
Every year a talented Fijian student delays university because international fees are beyond reach is another year of lost opportunity, not only for Fiji but arguably for Australia itself.
Twenty Years of Progress and Paperwork
To be fair, much has changed since 2005. Australia's engagement with the Pacific is substantially deeper. Labour mobility has expanded dramatically. Security cooperation is closer. Development assistance has increased. The Vuvale framework represents a significant political commitment.
These are genuine advances. But visas remain one of those awkward reminders that rhetoric and policy do not always travel at the same speed.
The Final Irony
Perhaps my 2005 imaginary visa application should now be updated.
Question: "Purpose of your visit?"
Answer: "To visit my Vuvale."
Question: "Do you have supporting documents?"
Answer: "Only twenty years' worth of speeches about Pacific partnership."
Result?
Application pending.
After almost twenty-one years, Fiji is still making the same argument.
Canberra is still giving broadly the same answer, only wrapped in warmer diplomatic language.
Some debates grow old.
This one appears to have qualified for permanent residency.
Peter Roberts: Australian High Commissioner
The Office of the Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Nayau, Sau ni Vanua o Lau, Tui Lau, Ratu Tevita Lutunauga Kapaiwai Uluilakeba Mara is calling for visa-free travel to Australia and for Fijian students to access domestic university fees before 2029 as the two countries deepen their relationship under the expanded Vuvale Union.
While welcoming the expanded Vuvale Union announced in Suva in July, Ratu Tevita says one matter that remains unresolved is the requirement for Fijians to obtain a visa before travelling to Australia.
He says Australians can arrive in Fiji without having to apply for a visa, while Fijians must still apply before entering Australia.
The Tui Lau says Vuvale means family, and in our custom, family does not apply at the door.
He says allowing Fijians to travel to Australia in the same way Australians travel to Fiji would give greater meaning to the Vuvale relationship.
Ratu Tevita also welcomed the commitment allowing Fijian students to study at Australian universities under domestic fee arrangements from 2029, but questioned why Fijian families should have to wait another three years.
He says every year between now and then is another year of our families paying international fees they cannot afford.
The Tui Lau highlighted Fiji’s contribution to the Australian economy, saying Fijian workers are already supporting industries including horticulture, meat processing and aged care.
He says more than 5,000 Fijians were working in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility or PALM scheme in late 2025, sending home an estimated FJ$145.5 million in the year to June 2025.
Ratu Tevita says Fiji also invests in training nurses, teachers and tradespeople who later take their skills to Australia.
He adds if our people are good enough to hold up Australian farms and Australian hospitals today, then our children are good enough to sit in Australian lecture theatres at an Australian’s fee today, not in three years’ time. Source: Fijivillage News
While welcoming the expanded Vuvale Union announced in Suva in July, Ratu Tevita says one matter that remains unresolved is the requirement for Fijians to obtain a visa before travelling to Australia.
He says Australians can arrive in Fiji without having to apply for a visa, while Fijians must still apply before entering Australia.
The Tui Lau says Vuvale means family, and in our custom, family does not apply at the door.
He says allowing Fijians to travel to Australia in the same way Australians travel to Fiji would give greater meaning to the Vuvale relationship.
Ratu Tevita also welcomed the commitment allowing Fijian students to study at Australian universities under domestic fee arrangements from 2029, but questioned why Fijian families should have to wait another three years.
He says every year between now and then is another year of our families paying international fees they cannot afford.
The Tui Lau highlighted Fiji’s contribution to the Australian economy, saying Fijian workers are already supporting industries including horticulture, meat processing and aged care.
He says more than 5,000 Fijians were working in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility or PALM scheme in late 2025, sending home an estimated FJ$145.5 million in the year to June 2025.
Ratu Tevita says Fiji also invests in training nurses, teachers and tradespeople who later take their skills to Australia.
He adds if our people are good enough to hold up Australian farms and Australian hospitals today, then our children are good enough to sit in Australian lecture theatres at an Australian’s fee today, not in three years’ time. Source: Fijivillage News
147 Years of Knocking. Has the GCC Misplaced the Key to the Vuvale Door?
For 147 years, Indo-Fijians have helped build Fiji's economy, institutions and democracy. Yet, many still feel they remain outside the symbolic Vuvale gate, waiting for an invitation that never quite arrives. While the language of unity is regularly invoked, critics argue that sections of the chiefly establishment and hardline iTaukei ethno-nationalists continue to reserve full acceptance for those they regard as indigenous first and citizens second. The knock on the Vuvale door continues but no one seems willing to answer.
